


God's Gift to USA [Johnny Seo 2014 US Nationals]

by chittaphoned (caramiro)



Series: Doyoung Commentates Skating and Other Adventures [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Gen, Implied Relationships, Other Fandoms Not Mentioned in Tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-31
Updated: 2017-03-31
Packaged: 2018-10-13 06:10:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10507881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caramiro/pseuds/chittaphoned
Summary: Skating "vlogger" Doyoung records drunk commentary on former figure skater for USA Johnny Seo's Viva La Vida free skate from 2014 US Nationals





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [iseekdaylight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/iseekdaylight/gifts), [youngho](https://archiveofourown.org/users/youngho/gifts).
  * Inspired by [the stuff of comets](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8103043) by [iseekdaylight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/iseekdaylight/pseuds/iseekdaylight). 



It’s at night Doyoung decides to finally do it. He finds himself home alone on a Friday night, having passed his friends’ invitation to go drinking because “there’s something he’s been putting off for a while.” So here he is, with only his laptop, his headset, a bottle of soju, and YouTube videos for company. As soon as he’s opened the soju bottle, he clicks on the video he’s supposed to work on and starts gathering his thoughts.

 

A small part of him regrets allowing his good friend and former roommate Taeil hyung drag him into the figure skating fandom. Doyoung had been content with watching his older brother Donghyun hyung compete as an ice dancer, but Taeil hyung had to drag him to _All that Skate_ back then and made him fall in love with singles skating. The minute Doyoung laid his eyes on the tall, prince-like singles skater Jung Jaehyun, he knew he was doomed.

 

Doyoung waits for the YouTube video he wants to watch to load, as he taps the microphone attached to his headset. “Testing… Testing,” he mutters under his breath. He presses the playback button. Satisfied with what he hears, he allows the video to load.

 

This all started as a joke.

 

He had complained to Taeil hyung and the rest of their friends about how boring the commentators on SBS were and how obnoxiously biased the ones on NBC were. Seulgi, over Twitter, then jokingly suggested that Doyoung actually record his own commentary. Taeil hyung, Wendy, Kun, and Sicheng backed her up, saying Doyoung practically flooded their Twitter feeds with his comments during competitions anyway.

 

It’s been a year since Doyoung recorded his first video, which is now known as “Free Jieqiong.” He still has no idea how he spent almost 10 minutes ranting about Chinese ice dance team Zhou Jieqiong / Huang Zitao.

 

Doyoung just spent the entire time cursing Zitao, who used to skate for Korea with Bae Joohyun. They could have been the future of Korean ice dance after Park Sandara and her partner retired all those years ago. However, Zitao ended their partnership behind Joohyun’s back two years ago. Joohyun, their coaches, and the Korean Skating Union only found out about the split when Zitao was filing release papers at the KSU office.

 

Apparently, Doyoung’s rambling—voodooing Zitao, with the occasional compliment toward Jieqiong—was a hit among the fans. Since then, he’s made several commentary videos. He even has a segment called “Warhorse Wednesdays,” wherein he comments on programs that feature overused music, and are uploaded on Wednesday nights, hence the name.

 

Most people know Doyoung as the number one supporter of Korean men’s singles skater Jung Jaehyun, but this video will reveal something about him that probably only Taeil hyung knew. Tonight’s video is going to be special.

 

Once Doyoung sees that the video has fully loaded and his equipment is ready…

 

It’s show time.

 

“Hey, hey, hey!” Doyoung says as cheerily as he can… “Welcome to my special Sunday uploads! I am back with everyone’s favorite… drunk commentary! I have a bottle of soju all to myself, so this happened.”

 

Besides Warhorse Wednesdays, he also tends to upload some special commentary videos based on whatever he felt like talking about—his favorite programs, previews for big competitions, and anything his friends dare him to do.

 

“It has been three years since Johnny Seo announced his retirement from competitive skating, and I can’t believe nobody has given God’s gift to USA a proper tribute yet,” Doyoung begins, trying to compose himself for what was coming next. “Yes, you heard me correctly, God’s gift to USA Johnny Seo. I am taking this chance to bid him farewell and mourn what could have been the future of US men’s skating. We are taking this moment to rewatch _my_ favorite program from his career. It is no other than his free skate at the 2014 US Nationals!”

 

Doyoung opens his bottle of soju and takes a sip. This is going to be a long eight minutes.

 

“Let me get this out of the way,” Doyoung says as the violin notes to Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida” start to play. “Johnny’s so hot. I mean, look at that face and that body.” Doyoung fans himself as he stares at Johnny on the screen. Wendy and Seulgi will be sending him side-eye emojis once this is up, and Thai skater Ten (who talks to him on Twitter and watches this channel) will have his head.

 

Though he’s seen this program several times, Doyoung still holds his breath every time Johnny moves across the ice. Doyoung watches with bated breath as Johnny does the familiar forward outside three-turn entry. Doyoung’s breath hitches as Johnny swings his right leg forward and takes off from his left back inside edge. Johnny flies across the air, with Doyoung mentally counting the rotations—one, two, three, four! When Johnny lands on his right back outside edge to the music, Doyoung screams.

 

“A textbook quad Salchow,” Doyoung says once he’s calmed down. “Before Sochi, Johnny was one of the few skaters who had a reliable quad Salchow. I’ll bet if he hadn’t been forced to retire, his quad Sal would still be the most consistent one among the top men.” Doyoung coughs, aware of the dig he dished out. “Sorry not sorry.”

 

Doyoung takes another sip from his bottle just in time to see Johnny bend his knees and takes off into the air. “Holy shit… I forgot how huge Johnny’s triple axel was,” Doyoung mutters as Johnny’s triple axel spans across the USFSA logo on the rink. Johnny lands back on the ice, and Doyoung screams at how low Johnny’s knees bend. “I swear, Johnny… That knee-bend is both a life-saver and terrifying like hell!”

 

When Johnny immediately follows up the triple axel with a triple loop, Doyoung takes another sip of his drink. “See how smooth Johnny’s knees are. He takes off and lands things so effortlessly, that he could have been the textbook definition of how to bend your knees,” Doyoung explains, his hand reaching out to stroke Johnny’s knees from his screen.

 

Johnny then launches into a flying sit spin, and Doyoung decides this is a good time to deviate from the topic a little bit. “The thing about this program is that it’s so well-crafted to the music. Take out the music and it doesn’t work,” he says as he takes another sip from his bottle. “To Johnny’s credit, he actually _listens_ to his music and acknowledges it as an important part of the story he’s trying to tell. This makes his skating… mesmerizing to watch.”

 

Doyoung’s thoughts are interrupted as Johnny moves across the ice again, setting up for his next jump. “That was a beautiful triple loop,” he says before Johnny goes into his change foot camel spin.

 

Doyoung takes yet another sip of his drink while Johnny performs the mandatory choreographic sequence. At this point, Doyoung’s eyes are beginning to blur.

 

“Anyway, just to give people some context. Right before this, Johnny had been struggling during the whole warm up. He kept popping shit… something he rarely did in the past. He looked so defeated at the end of the warm up… Seeing him get it together even if his foot was practically killing him is just so many levels of gratifying.”

 

Johnny then bends his knees once again as the music begins to build. “A nice triple lutz-triple toe combination. Fucking perfect,” Doyoung says as he pats his eyes with his shirt. Thank God people only hear his voice and don’t see his face.

 

“One of my favorite parts is coming…” he says, bracing himself for it as Johnny approaches the jump head on.

 

“BAM! TRIPLE AXEL RIGHT TO THE MUSIC AT THE START OF THE SECOND HALF!” Doyoung shouts into his microphone. “Johnny are you crazy?!”

 

Doyoung takes several breaths after that outburst. Not many skaters liked starting the second half with a triple axel. Even if it’s been years since Johnny last skated that program, Doyoung still gets anxious.

 

“I wonder what Coach Daniel Lee and choreographer Jung Yunho were inhaling when they came up with that choreography and layout,” he mutters loud enough for the microphone to pick up perfectly.

 

“Can I take this moment to talk abouf—I mean talk about. What am I saying?—the costume?” Doyoung says a few seconds later. “I think Johnny played it very safe with the long-sleeved burgundy shirt and very nice gray pants that show off his butt. Johnny is lucky he's hot and pulls it off so well.”

 

Doyoung better start saying his prayers and drafting his last will and testament as soon as he’s done recording this. Ten will probably murder him in his sleep once this video is posted.

 

“The other thing I like about the costume is that Johnny finally got the ‘deep-vee-without-illusion-mesh’ memo and that he looks even more attractive?” Doyoung laughs as he takes another sip of his soju. His thirst has no limits. It’s a wonder that actual skaters who subscribe to this channel haven’t filed restraining orders against him.

 

Johnny sets up for what is his final combination in this program, a triple flip-single loop-triple toe combination. Doyoung’s attention goes back to the actual skating before he finds himself lying in a pool of his own blood.

 

“That was a very nicely landed, but at the time, _fucking crazy_ jumping pass. I like that Johnny committed to an actual single loop rather than those ugly half loops people like doing these days.” Doyoung clears his throat. “Again, sorry, not sorry.”  

 

Johnny lands a flawless triple lutz, with his arms above his head. At this point, Doyoung chugs his bottle of soju, as if that’s enough preparation for what’s coming.

 

Doyoung sobs as Johnny throws himself into his step sequence. It is at this moment that Doyoung forgets he’s watching Johnny Seo, then USA’s rising star in men’s figure skating. At that moment, he’s watching a young man who has lost his kingdom and is trying to get it back. The passion for skating blazes in Johnny’s face while he travels across the ice with more energy than before. At that moment, Johnny was invincible. Johnny was in this bubble no one could touch. He is there because he loves skating. He’s fighting for every step, even if his foot is killing him. Johnny wants that Olympic spot, and he is going to get it, no matter what.

 

Doyoung lets out a loud wail, and this is the only time he realizes that he’s been sobbing into his microphone the entire time. His nose is running and his eyes are probably red. “I probably let out several embarrassing noises, but… no big deal. I have every right to be emotional over God’s gift to USA. If that step sequence didn’t make you cry, then  you’re either lying to me, or have no soul. Don’t talk to me!”

 

Doyoung is busy wiping his eyes and composing himself that he almost misses Johnny’s final jump, a triple Salchow. “Damn it, Johnny! I was too busy crying that I almost missed your Salchow… which was perfectly landed, like the rest of your jumps.”

 

As Johnny finally spins in the center of the rink, Doyoung can’t help remark, “I don’t know how the hell Johnny moves and bends his body like that. Tall people usually struggle to move their bodies or they look so gangly and scary when they spin… but Johnny doing it makes it look and seem so effortless.”

 

Johnny stretches his arms to his sides and throws his head back, with his eyes to the sky when the music finally stops. “Yaaas, Johnny! Yaaaaaas!” Doyoung cheers while Johnny pumps his fists in the air, shouting. “Everyone is on their feet! As they FUCKING should be!”

 

Doyoung takes another swig of his bottle… only to find it empty. No wonder his throat is burning. “Apparently, I have finished an entire bottle of soju. Just in time since the program is finished… I miss Johnny, and I find it both sad and ironic that he ended his career with what was arguably his best free skate at Nationals… rather… his best skate ever.”

 

Doyoung takes a breath before continuing his rambling. “Johnny, if you ever hear this… I want to confess that you were my first love in skating… I know I moved on to Jaehyun now, but a small part of my heart will always be yours.”

 

At this point, Johnny’s scores had been announced, a new personal best… if only they counted Nationals scores. Johnny’s crying while holding onto Coach Lee, forcing himself to stand.

 

“I don’t know whether he’s crying because of the pain in his foot, or because he knows he fucking did the damn thing,” Doyoung says once he’s somewhat composed himself. “But… he’s crying… I’m crying… I bet you’re also crying.”

 

Doyoung continues talking even if the video has stopped. “We could have had all six members of Team VSC among the top men in the world, and Johnny would have been the leader of that Team VSC domination… but… life happens. He was, and always will be, God’s gift to USA.”

 

Doyoung makes a mental note to include an image he can link to. “So, if you enjoyed my rambling and have any particular skaters you want me to talk about, leave a comment below,” he says once he’s finished crying. “And I will see you next time. Byeee~”

 

 

 

-30-

**Author's Note:**

> \- This is dedicated to three Johnny fans in my life whose birthdays are so close to each other: Bea, Yuki, and Nina unni. This is for you.  
> \- This is a side story/series to The Stuff of Comets. Bea has given me permission to proceed with this madness.  
> \- The name Warhorse Wednesdays comes from our friend Patrick, who does skating commentary videos. Check him out on [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIlfeAjlT9F5fpSDPnkBH5A)!  
> \- Doyoung’s entire being is a tribute to both Patrick and Bea


End file.
